Project EnergyConnect

Last updated

Project EnergyConnect
Project EnergyConnect Logo.png
Location
CountryAustralia
State South Australia and New South Wales
Coordinates 33°57′22″S139°07′37″E / 33.956°S 139.127°E / -33.956; 139.127
General directionWest–East
From Robertstown, South Australia
Passes through Buronga, New South Wales
To Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Ownership information
Partners ElectraNet and TransGrid
Construction information
Construction started2022
Expected2025
Technical information
Typeoverhead transmission line
Type of currentAC
Total length900 km (560 mi)
Power rating800 MW
AC voltage330 kV
Website www.projectenergyconnect.com.au

Project EnergyConnect is a new electricity transmission line under construction which will connect the South Australia and New South Wales districts of the National Electricity Market in Australia. Riverlink was a previous working title for the project, drawn from a proposal first raised in 1999. [1] The Australian Energy Market Operator used RiverLink in its proposal for this interconnector, but the transmission companies in South Australia (ElectraNet) and New South Wales (TransGrid) now call it EnergyConnect.

South Australia and New South Wales already each have connections to Victoria, which also has a connection across Bass Strait to Tasmania, and New South Wales also has connections to Queensland. The connection between New South Wales and South Australia is intended to provide resilience and redundancy to the network. It is aimed to provide increased security of supply to South Australia and improve sharing of renewable energy with New South Wales. [2]

Construction of the new interconnector is expected to cost A$1.8 billion. It will be 900 kilometres (560 mi) long, from Robertstown to Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. It is proposed to have a spur from Buronga to Red Cliffs in Victoria. [3] Assessment of the Regulatory Investment Test for Transmission (RIT-T) began in June 2019. [4]

The link endpoints are at Robertstown in South Australia where major transmission lines connect to the north and south of the state, and Wagga Wagga, the furthest west in New South Wales that the high voltage lines reach. The new high-voltage line is expected to improve the feasibility of more solar and wind farms in the areas traversed by the line. [5]

The Australian Energy Market Commission changed its rules in April 2019 to streamline the regulatory process for several network upgrades including Project EnergyConnect. The change allows the Australian Energy Regulator to consider the proposals concurrently. [6] ElectraNet established information hubs near the South Australian part of the route to consult the public about the detailed route. [7] One of the concerns is that the proposed route crosses Calperum Station which is home to a critically endangered species, the black-eared miner. [8] New South Wales put the project on a fast-track development process by assigning it "critical infrastructure" status. [9] The Clean Energy Finance Corporation issued a $295 million debt instrument for the project in May 2021. [10] [11]

A new substation will be built at Bundey, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Robertstown substation. The connection between those will operate at South Australia's transmission voltage of 275 kV. The interconnector main line east from Bundey will operate at New South Wales voltage of 330 kV. Substation construction contracts to build the new Bundey substation and expand Robertstown and Tungkillo substations were awarded to Consolidated Power Projects. The contract for the transmission lines to the South Australian border (200 kilometres (120 mi)) was let to Downer Utilities Australia. [12] Construction began with the first towers out from Robertstown on 15 February 2022. The connection to Buronga is expected to be completed late in 2023, and the full link to Wagga Wagga by early 2025. [13] Several power control items are to be connected to the line, including five 330 kV Phase Shifting Transformers, two synchronous condensers and four variable shunt reactors. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Grid (Great Britain)</span> High-voltage electric power transmission network in Great Britain

The National Grid is the high-voltage electric power transmission network serving Great Britain, connecting power stations and major substations, and ensuring that electricity generated anywhere on the grid can be used to satisfy demand elsewhere. The network serves the majority of Great Britain and some of the surrounding islands. It does not cover Northern Ireland, which is part of the Irish single electricity market.

The National Electricity Market (NEM) is an arrangement in Australia's electricity sector for the connection of the electricity transmission grids of the eastern and southern Australia states and territories to create a cross-state wholesale electricity market. The Australian Energy Market Commission develops and maintains the Australian National Electricity Rules (NER), which have the force of law in the states and territories participating in NEM. The Rules are enforced by the Australian Energy Regulator. The day-to-day management of NEM is performed by the Australian Energy Market Operator.

Directlink (Terranora)Interconnector is a mixed buried and above ground 59 kilometre (37 mi) High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) electricity transmission cable route from near Lavertys Gap (28°34′15″S153°27′8″E), 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) Southwest of Mullumbimby, New South Wales and Bungalora (28°15′20″S153°28′20″E) & connected via a 3.5 km (2.2 mi) AC Overhead Transmission Line to the NorthEast to the Terranora Electrical Substation (28°14′28.3″S153°30′12.7″E) @ Terranora, New South Wales in Eastern Australia. The DC cables alternate between above ground in a galvanised steel trough and below ground with depths up to 1 metre.

The East–West Interconnector is a 500 MW high-voltage direct current submarine and subsoil power cable which connects the Irish and British electricity markets. The project was developed by the Irish national grid operator EirGrid.

Transgrid is the manager and operator of the high voltage electricity transmission network in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Australia, and is part of the National Electricity Market (NEM). The company's offices are located in Sydney, Newcastle, Orange, Tamworth, Wagga, and Yass.

South Australia is a leader in utility-scale renewable energy generation, and also produces gas and uranium for electricity generation. Gas production is mostly concentrated in the Cooper Basin in the state's north-east. Gas is delivered from these fields by pipeline to users interstate and to Port Adelaide where it fuels three separate gas-fired power plants. Uranium is also mined in South Australia, though nuclear power generation is prohibited nationally. The Olympic Dam mine is the world's single largest known deposit of uranium and represents 30% of the world's total uranium resource. Many utility-scale wind farms and solar farms have been commissioned during the 21st century and geology with potential for geothermal energy has also been identified but is yet to be developed.

Shetland HVDC Connection is a high-voltage direct current submarine power cable under construction to connect Shetland to the British mainland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powerlink Queensland</span>

Powerlink Queensland is an electricity transmission system operator owned by the Government of Queensland which operates the high-voltage electricity transmission infrastructure in Queensland.

The South Australian blackout of 2016 was a widespread power outage in South Australia that occurred as a result of storm damage to electricity transmission infrastructure on 28 September 2016. The cascading failure of the electricity transmission network resulted in almost the entire state losing its electricity supply, affecting 850,000 SA customers. Kangaroo Island did not lose its supply, as the Kangaroo Island power station had been built to supply the island for the contingency of a failure in the power cable under the Backstairs Passage.

Hornsdale Power Reserve is a 150 MW grid-connected energy storage system owned by Neoen co-located with the Hornsdale Wind Farm in the Mid North region of South Australia, also owned by Neoen.

The Lincoln Gap Wind Farm is a wind farm in the vicinity of Lincoln Gap on northeastern Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, Australia. It consists of 59 wind turbines and generates a total of 212 MW of electricity. Construction began in late 2017 and was initially expected to be commissioned in late 2018. Construction was delayed in July 2018 when unexploded ordnance was discovered on the site, left from historic military testing. The site is not far from the Cultana Training Area.

The Dalrymple ESCRI battery is a 30 MW / 8 MW·h grid-connected battery array near Stansbury on Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. Its role is to provide improved reliability and stability to the electricity network on Yorke Peninsula and South Australia.

Limondale Solar Farm is a solar farm south of Balranald in southwestern New South Wales, Australia. When it was completed, it was the largest solar farm in Australia. It is owned by German company RWE through a subsidiary Belectric Solar and Battery, and was constructed by Australian engineering company Downer Group.

The Sunraysia Solar Farm is a solar farm under construction south of Balranald in south western New South Wales, Australia. It is expected to be completed around the end of 2019.

The Heywood interconnector is a 275 kV AC overhead electricity transmission line with two circuits connecting the electricity grids in South Australia and Victoria, two states of Australia. Both are part of the National Electricity Market. The nominal capacity of the interconnector is 650 MW since an upgrade in 2016. The interconnector was commissioned in 1988 and was the first connection between the two state electricity grids.

Dundonnell Wind Farm is at Dundonnell, 23 kilometres (14 mi) northeast of Mortlake in the Australian state of Victoria. Construction began in January 2019 and was completed in 2020 with 80 Vestas wind turbines with a capacity to generate 336MW of electricity. The drive trains and hubs were assembled at the former Ford Australia site in Geelong.

Stuart is a locality in the Riverland region of South Australia.

Gridlink Interconnector is a proposed submarine power cable between England and France. The 1,400 MW high-voltage direct current connector would link Kingsnorth National Grid substation in north Kent, England, with Réseau de Transport d'Électricité Warande substation in Bourbourg (Nord) near Dunkirk in northern France.

The Galafi–Nagad High Voltage Power Line, is a 230 kV double circuit high-voltage electricity power transmission line that is planned to connect the high voltage substation at Galafi, Djibouti to another high voltage substation at Nagad, Djibouti. The power project also involves the strengthening of the high voltage transmission line between Samera, Ethiopia and Galafi, Djibouti to augment that part of the Ethiopian grid and minimize the possibility of "isolation of the Djibouti national grid" and end of circuit issues in Nagad. This interconnection between the national grids of Ethiopia and Djibouti, is the second, the first one having been established in 2011.

Goyder South Wind Farm is the first stage of the Goyder Renewables Zone development near Burra, South Australia. The Goyder South Wind Farm will be on the hills south-east of the town of Burra.

References

  1. ↑ MacKinnon, Duncan (26 July 2018). "RiverLink: Don't spend the savings all at once!". Australian Energy Council . Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  2. ↑ "SA to NSW High Capacity Interconnector". Australia & New Zealand Infrastructure Pipeline. Infrastructure Partnerships Australia. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  3. ↑ Scopelianos, Sarah (13 February 2019). "Interconnector proposal between SA and NSW to 'reduce bills'". ABC News . Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  4. ↑ Murphy, India (26 June 2019). "AER to review interconnector proposed by ElectraNet". Energy Magazine. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  5. ↑ Potter, Ben (29 July 2016). "Transgrid backs $500m NSW-SA interconnector to ease power crisis". Australian Financial Review . Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  6. ↑ "Final rule to streamline the regulatory process for priority transmission projects". Australian Energy Market Commission. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  7. ↑ "Project EnergyConnect information hubs established across Riverland and Murraylands". ElectraNet . Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  8. ↑ Peddie, Clare (20 June 2019). "BirdLife Australia says interconnector threatens a critically endangered bird, the black-eared miner". The Advertiser . Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  9. ↑ Vorrath, Sophie (29 August 2019). "NSW puts interstate transmission link project on the fast-track". RenewEconomy . Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  10. ↑ Parkinson, Giles (30 May 2021). "Transgrid commits to major new transmission link after CEFC steps in". RenewEconomy.
  11. ↑ Parkinson, Giles (7 June 2021). "ElectraNet approves landmark "freeway" for wind, solar and storage". RenewEconomy. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021.
  12. ↑ "Major construction contracts awarded for SA component of new interconnector with NSW". ElectraNet. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  13. ↑ Parkinson, Giles (15 February 2022). "First poles erected in $2.4bn transmission link to create "renewables superpower"". Renew Economy. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  14. ↑ Williamson, Rachel (19 June 2023). "Huge 374 tonne machine travels 900km to join NSW renewable super highway". RenewEconomy.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.